It’s no secret that the key to any successful communication is reaching the right audience, at the right time, with the right message. For some retailers and restaurateurs, this means not only deploying “freestanding” digital signage applications, but running digital signage software on kiosks.

Whether you own a store or a restaurant, “marrying” digital signage and kiosks allows you to appeal to a very narrowly defined audience, when the time is ripe and with information that is pertinent to individual needs and wants. For example, an order-entry payment terminal at a convenience store may play content about coffee selections or breakfast “deals” as customers approach it during morning hours; content may be even more customized by programming the kiosk to suggestively sell complementary items (for example, specialty coffee to an individual who orders a breakfast sandwich). Shoppers using an in-store kiosk to place an online order for an out-of-stock item may be offered alternate suggestions based on items in the store.

While neither “freestanding” digital signage nor digital signage integrated with kiosks is “new”, many small- and medium-size retailers, as well as independent restaurant operators, have avoided installing the technology because of its high cost. However, such a barrier is dissipating. The cost of flat-panel screens and other hardware has declined significantly in recent years, as has that of Internet bandwidth. Advances in hardware (media players and support for all-in-one devices) and software (content and ad management) have also helped to bring down the price of digital signage to an acceptable level. Meanwhile, the availability of Internet speed and bandwidth is on the rise. All of these factors make digital signage and digital signage/kiosk “pairings” a viable option in the retail and hospitality spaces alike.

For more information on retail and restaurant point-of-sale systems, contact pcAmerica.